Peter is a thinker, tinkerer, problem solver, and digital storyteller. Apart from his consulting career in hospitality, he enjoys spending time with his wife and son, traveling, exploring new technology, and sharing thoughts and stories through his blog.

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Top Ten Mistakes Bloggers Make

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If you’re just starting a blog or trying to learn how to be a successful blogger on the Internet you have probably read a lot about what you should be doing. Have you considered thinking about what you shouldn’t be doing?

I polled my network of experts on Google+ and got some great responses on this topic. I wanted to feature +C Bret Campbell‘s thoughts as a guest post. Here’s his top ten list of mistakes that bloggers commonly make:

Top 10 No-No’s:

Spelling and punctuation: using a particular vernacular can be fun. Misspelled words and improper punctuation are a nuisance, particularly in the case of plural possessives.

Not giving credit to references – at least make part of a quoted phrase linkable.

Not crediting photos.

Misleading headlines.

Gratuitous tagging – or abusive casual mentions of experts with whom you have had no actual contact. I like to reference people I at least have conversation with.

Not checking facts, Especially in the case of “news” blogging.

Not responding to comments or questions – especially questions.

Speaking ill of one to try to make another look better.

Not allowing comments

Pop-ups asking for any call to action before the whole blog can be read.

11 thoughts on “Top Ten Mistakes Bloggers Make”

I agree with all but must comment about “Not allowing comments”. I did freely until I found my posts spammed every day with links to sites that had little or nothing to do with my posts. I now have comments set for approval, which caused me dismay, but enough was enough with the rudeness.

Hi, Linda!Peter is quite right about the effectiveness of Askimet. Here is their site: http://akismet.com/?return=true I have no affiliation.
Another handy WP feature is being able to allow people who have been approved before to have open access.
There surely is a load of spam out there!

Thanks for sharing this, Peter. I had thought of moving the “multiple page” bit to the middle and sticking in a page divider, just for kicks ( can I get a LoL?).
I don’t quite know what to make of being included in the “expert” category!
I wonder what other folks think of my list, or what they would add to it…

Thanks, Peter and Bret. I’m on blogspot, not wordpress, but I’ll check things out. The good news is that since I set it to approval I haven’t seen any spam, so I’m assuming they delete when they see it won’t be automatically published. My husband’s blog is with wordpress, so I’ll pass this info on to him. Thanks again!

Linda, when you go into your “dashboard” look at the comments area, spam should be listed in it’s own slot, you can pick and choose, or permanently delete w/ one button.
I think that if you set up a Gravatar profile, it will show your pic any time you use the same email address to comment on any blog.

Peter, I was kidding! This is way too short to split into 2 pages, lol!

Thanks for what may seem like “common sense” to most people but with all that we must remember when blogging or participating in social media…it is nice to read a short, brief, and to the point article to bookmark. For me personally, it stimulated ideas which is what I love the most about interactive blogs.
Regards,
~ Holley Jacobs